The Key to Murder
by honu59
Summary: Danny goes undercover to investigate the death of a graduate student.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Hawaii Five-O or any of its characters. **_

_**This is my first attempt at a multi-chapter story. Many, many thanks to Tanith2011 for her beta-reading and encouragement. **_

_**This story takes place around 1969.**_

**The Key to Murder**

**Chapter 1**

A crescent moon hung over Diamond Head, lending minimal light to the dark Hawaiian night. Gentle waves lapping at the sand created hypnotic white noise masking the silence. On a scenic overlook far above the beach, the peacefulness was broken by angry voices.

"Come on, hand it over. I gave you the bread!"

"Sorry, man, the price has gone up."

"Look, we had a deal. I can't wait, I need it now!"

Fists collided with flesh, clothing ripped, grunts and moans of pain, bodies hit the ground rolling, then the loud smack of skull against rock, labored breathing, and once again silence. Something heavy dragged across the ground, a few seconds of silence, then a muffled thud and a quiet splash. Gentle waves lapped at the sand.

_o-o-o_

Lelani was out for her early morning run on the pristine, deserted beach. The black lava cliffs stretched up to the sky to her left and the clear blue Pacific Ocean sparkled in the rising sun to her right. She had plenty of time before her nine o'clock class, and this routine start to her day helped to clear her head and also renewed her appreciation for the beauty of her island home. She blinked as the light sheen of sweat on her forehead made its way to her eyes, and she thought she glimpsed something unusual up ahead on the hard sand at the water's edge. As she got closer, the foreign lump gently splashed by the waves became the body of a young man, thoroughly saturated and very dead.

Shocked by the sight, Lelani stopped short, and after a sharp intake of air she gasped, "Oh my God!" She sank to her knees, suddenly feeling nauseated. Looking away, she took several deep breaths. When she was able to think clearly again, she remembered seeing a phone booth not too far back. She rose to her feet and jogged to the phone, fished out the emergency dime from the pocket of her shorts, inserted it in the slot and dialed the operator.

_o-o-o_

Dan Williams led the investigation at the early morning crime scene since his boss was stuck in a meeting with the governor. He would have to shake the sand out of his black dress shoes later. For now, he put up with the discomfort. He watched as Doc Bergman made a preliminary examination of the body, taking note of the facial bruising and the large knot on the back of the victim's head.

"Drowning, Doc?" asked Danny.

"Not sure yet, will know once we get him to the morgue. Never sure of anything until after my first cup of coffee," Bergman gruffly replied.

Before the attendants loaded the body onto the gurney, Danny checked the sodden pockets. No wallet or other ID, but he did find a single key in the back pocket of the victim's jeans.

"What do you think, Che?" he asked, holding up the key so the small forensic scientist could have a good look.

"Bag it!" responded Che. "It could be important."

Danny carefully placed the key in a plastic evidence bag and handed it to Che.

"Have you found anything else?" Danny asked.

"Sorry, Dan, the morning tide washed away all footprints except hers," Che replied, nodding towards Lelani. "You won't have much to go on."

Sighing as he rose from the sand, the young detective walked over to Sargent Duke Lukela who was taking Lelani's statement.

"That's all you can tell us, Miss?" asked the grey haired officer as he flipped his notebook closed.

"Yes sir, that's all," Lelani replied, her voice steady even after the disturbing events of the morning.

"Thank you for your help," Duke said sincerely. "There are a lot of people who wouldn't want to get involved, and that makes our job more difficult. We may need to contact you again, but for now you are free to go."

_o-o-o_

"What have you got, Doc?" Steve McGarrett asked as he and his second-in-command stood in front of the cold steel table in the morgue.

"John Doe, mid-twenties. He didn't drown; no water in the lungs. Cause of death was blunt force trauma to the back of the head that fractured the skull," replied the old coroner. "Also found traces of lava dust in the tissue inside the head wound."

"Suicide?" asked Danny, thinking of the jagged lava cliffs overlooking that stretch of beach.

"No, don't think so," Doc continued. "Also found some skin and blood under his nails - a definite indication he fought an attacker - type is O-negative. And something else, Steve – he was a heroin user, needle marks behind his knees. The drug level in his blood indicates he was probably experiencing the onset of withdrawal at the time of death."

"You do a thorough job, Doc," Steve said, though he wasn't surprised that Bergman had thought to check the non-obvious site. "What was the time of death?"

"Can't say for sure. The time he spent in the water altered the rate of cooling, so it's difficult to pinpoint. Best guess is between ten last night and three this morning."

"Anything else?" asked Steve.

"Che took his prints," Bergman responded, handing a file folder to the lead detective. "Dental records will take longer."

"Thanks, Doc. We'll work on the prints. Let us know if there's a match for the dental records."

The two cops left the morgue as the coroner draped a green sheet over the body.

"Danno, run these prints through the DMV, see what they can find," Steve said as he handed the folder to the younger man on their way to the car. Danny hesitated slightly, which Steve noticed. "What is it, Danno?"

Danny paused as he considered a possible scenario of the young man's death. "Steve, I think we should send the lab boys back to the site to check out the cliff above the beach. It's possible the kid was pushed and if so, there may be footprints or tire marks up there."

"Good thinking, Danno!" Steve said, impressed with his young protégé. Then he grinned and looked Danny in the eye. "You're going to make a good cop one of these days."

Though he was somewhat self-conscious at the compliment, Danny returned his boss's smile.

When they reached the car, Steve grabbed the mic from the dashboard. "Central, patch me through to the lab."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Got a match from the DMV, Steve," Danny began, reading from his notes. The four detectives had gathered in the large corner office, later than usual due to the early morning call. "Peter O'Neal, age twenty-four, graduate student at the university, home address is on the mainland. Blood type and dental records confirm it."

"Has the family been notified?" asked Steve.

"Yeah - they'll make arrangements for the body to be shipped when it's released from the morgue."

Chin Ho shook his head sadly as he lit his pipe. "Pretty short life. What a waste!"

"With his heroin habit, it's likely his life would have been short anyway, but you're right, Chin, it is a waste," Steve responded gravely.

A soft knock at the door interrupted their dark thoughts. "Come in," Steve called out.

Che Fong entered the office carrying a box and a file folder under his arm. He placed the box on the side table, taking care not to jar the model ship displayed there.

"Got a couple of clean shoe prints from the top of the cliff," Che said as he pulled two plaster casts from the box and handed them to the lead detective. "One size eleven narrow and one size ten medium. The tread from the ten medium matches the tread from the victim's shoe. Note the irregular v-shaped indentation on the eleven narrow, like it was damaged by something sharp. That should make it easy to match. No tire tracks, but there was an abandoned car in the parking lot; the only prints inside the car match the victim's."

Steve accepted the casts and studied them for a few moments before passing them to Kono. "What else, Che?"

"Found blood on one of the rocks at the top of the cliff; A-positive, same type as the victim's. Also brought this key that Dan removed from the body," Che continued as he fished the key out of the folder. "Couldn't lift any prints, probably due to contact with the wet fabric in the victim's pocket. This type of key is typically used in public buildings – schools, hospitals, government buildings. There's an engraved number on the top, but no other identifying marks."

"Thanks, Che," said Steve taking the key from the man.

The forensic scientist nodded, picked up his box and left the office, closing the door behind him.

"Okay, gentlemen, we're looking for someone with O-negative blood who wears an eleven narrow shoe, possibly connected with the university, who may be in the heroin business," Steve summarized.

"Drug deal gone bad?" asked Danny.

"Could be, but we don't have a lot to go on at this point."

"Kono," said Steve as he tossed the key to the large Hawaiian, "find the door that this key opens. Peter was a graduate student, so start with the university."

"On it!" Kono replied as he caught the key and hustled out of the office.

"Chin, pull the records of known drug dealers, check the blood types. Get a list of probables."

The Oriental detective was already on his feet. "Done, Boss."

Now alone in the office with his second-in-command, Steve leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. The long gap of silence might have seemed uncomfortable to anyone else, but Danny knew that his boss was processing the information from the meeting and thinking through possible connections between the evidence and the crime. After several minutes, Steve turned his attention to his youngest detective.

"Danno, find out all you can about Peter O'Neal. Start with the registrar at the university. Get a court order to pull his academic records if you have to."

_o-o-o_

Sam Makala sat alone in his room, still trying to calm down after returning from a late night rendezvous that had gone very, very wrong. Sweat dripped down the young Hawaiian's face and his damp t-shirt stuck to his back in the stifling room as he sat on the edge of his bed and rocked. He couldn't stop the shaking in his hands or his pounding heart.

_My God, Pete's dead! How did I ever get involved with this? What the hell am I going to do now? _

Sam's mind was racing as fast as his heart. He glanced at the clock on the desk – fifteen minutes before his next class. In an instant the night before, his life had permanently changed. Normal things like going to class seemed strangely unimportant. But he would have to put up a front and at least try to appear normal. He rose to his feet, put on a clean shirt and gathered his books for class.

_o-o-o_

Chin Ho Kelly returned to his cubicle, sat down at his desk and dialed the phone. After waiting through a few rings, he was connected with the morgue.

"Hi Doc, Chin Ho," he began.

"_Hi Chin. I just gav__e Steve and Danny all the information I had. What can I do for you?"_

"We're looking for a guy who wears a size eleven narrow shoe, Doc, and I was wondering if you could give me an idea of our man's height from his shoe size."

"_Hmm…good question. There __is some correlation between height and shoe size, but it's just a trend and not very specific." _

"Well, can you give me a probable range? Even that would help."

"_Let me think…ah…size eleven narrow? I'd say a good guess is between five eleven and six th__ree, give or take. But it's just a guess. Does that help?"_

"It gives me a starting point, Doc, thanks."

Chin wrote the height range in his notebook and redialed the phone. He relayed the blood type, height range and possible drug conviction charges to the HPD computer tech and promised to retrieve the printout of matches in person. Then he tapped the ashes from his pipe into his ashtray, grabbed his coat and headed out the door.

_o-o-o_

File folder in hand, Danny exited the University of Hawaii administration building and started out across campus. He soon spotted Kono headed toward him.

"Hey Kono!" Danny called out, waving to catch the Hawaiian's attention.

"Danny! Guess we both got da university gig," Kono responded as he met Danny on the sidewalk.

"Let's get some lunch and compare notes," Danny suggested, knowing that his large friend would never turn down an offer of food.

"No need to ask twice, Bruddah!" Kono replied with a grin.

They bought a couple of hotdogs from an outdoor vendor and sat at a campus picnic table out of earshot of the students who were on their way to class.

"Got a break with da key," Kono said around his mouthful of hotdog. "It's da key to Professor Lee's chemistry lab."

"That makes sense," Danny responded. "Peter was a graduate assistant for the chemistry department. Professor Lee was his supervisor."

Danny pushed Peter's personnel folder over to Kono and the large detective scanned the information as Danny summarized.

"Brilliant student, top grades, reliable employee until the last month or so. Then his work got sloppy, several instances of leaving early, forgetting to lock up, things like that."

"Dat's consistant with early stages of a drug habit," Kono remarked, swallowing the last of his lunch. "Professor Lee also said some chemicals have gone missing from da lab recently. Peter coulda been selling da stuff for drugs."

"That's what I'm thinking," Danny responded.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Chin parked his car and jogged up the Palace steps, computer printout in hand. He entered the Five-O office suite, greeted Jenny and returned to his desk. Opening his desk drawer, he pulled out the sack lunch his wife had packed for him that morning, hoping to get in a few bites while he studied his list of possible suspects. He unwrapped the sandwich and chuckled to himself.

_Ah, peanut butter again, _Chin thought and he smiled at his vision of the morning routine in the Kelly household. With eight children to feed, lunches were made assembly-line style and sometimes Chin felt like he was child number nine.

Scanning the list from the HPD computer, he began crossing off the names of those who were currently in prison. Then he eliminated those who were out on parole but resided on one of the other islands. For the names that remained, he closely studied the specific charges, looking for those that dealt with heroin. Now he was down to just six names. He copied the names and addresses into his notebook and quickly finished his sandwich before leaving his cubicle.

"The boss still here?" Chin asked Jenny, nodding toward the closed door to the large office.

"He is, Chin," replied the petite secretary as she glanced at the buttons of her office phone. "He just got off the phone."

"Thanks," Chin said. He approached the door and knocked respectfully. Then at his boss's invitation, he entered the office.

"What have you got, Chin?" Steve asked.

"List of probables from the iron brain. I narrowed it down to six most likely. Want me to check them out?"

"Let's both go," said Steve as he grabbed his shoulder holster and jacket.

_o-o-o_

Sam walked across the campus after his morning class and headed toward the small rented house where he lived. The lecture had been a blur; it could have been delivered in Chinese, for all he knew. He moved as if in a trance, nearly colliding with a couple of coeds who were chatting as they walked, but skirted around them at the last second.

Once home, he entered his room, threw his books on the bed and cursed.

"What's with you?"

Sam looked up and glared at his housemate Gil McCarthy who was standing in the doorway.

"Pete's dead, man! He wanted to jack up the price and we got into a fight. He must have hit his head on a rock." Sam's voice became shaky as fear and guilt threatened to overtake him. "My God, I killed him. What are we going to do? _I killed him, Gil!_" Sam sobbed.

"That does present a problem," Gil said in a low voice. "We had Pete over a barrel so he made a good supplier."

Sam stared at Gil, wide-eyed and speechless. He was incredulous that Gil talked about Pete as if he were discussing a piece of machinery.

"Look, what did you do after he bought it?" Gil asked.

"I…I panicked, Gil! I didn't know what to do. I grabbed the money and then pushed his body over the cliff and into the ocean." Sam couldn't believe that he had actually said it out loud. His admission gave the deed a new reality from which he could no longer hide.

Gil digested the news and thought for a few moments. When he looked back at Sam, a hard smile slowly spread across his face and his eyes narrowed.

"Don't worry about Pete, man. You did the right thing; you covered your tracks. There's no way they'll trace this to you." Gil thought some more and continued. "Hey, it'll look like a suicide - great thinking!" Gil laughed at the convenient disposal of what could have been a big problem.

"We just have to figure out what to do next," Gil continued. "We'll need a new man in the chem department. We have a lot of customers who are counting on us and time is running out!"

_o-o-o_

The two older detectives had just finished visiting address number five and were on their way to number six. At each address, they had questioned the resident parolee and checked out his shoe size. No eleven narrow so far.

"This is like looking for Cinderella!" Chin commented, frustrated with the lack of luck.

"And which one of us is the handsome prince?" Steve asked wryly.

Chin gave his boss a pained look and shook his head. "Just one left."

They pulled up to a rundown one-story house in one of the poorer neighborhoods.

They could see movement inside – someone was definitely home.

"Okay, Chin, you cover the back and I'll take the front. Be careful," instructed Steve.

Chin quietly made his way to the back of the structure. From his position, he heard his boss pound on the door and call out _"Harry Chang, it's Five-O, open up!"_

A sudden racket from within the house was followed by Harry Chang's bolting out the back door. Chin quickly grabbed the lanky young man and held one arm behind his back.

"What do you want, old man?" Harry shouted angrily as he squirmed against Chin's grip.

"Just need to ask you a few questions, son, so calm down! Didn't anyone ever teach you to respect your elders?" Chin said just as the lead detective appeared in the back yard.

Steve took a close look at Harry's face, which bore several nasty bruises.

"Looks like you've been in a fight," Steve said. "What size shoe do you wear?" he asked glancing down at the young man's dirty sneakers.

Harry looked down at his feet, then back up at the tall detective. "Eleven narrow," answered Harry, genuinely confused by the strange question. "Why?"

Steve exchanged glances with Chin. _Now we're getting somewhere, _he thought.

"Where were you between ten last night and three this morning?" Chin asked.

"Emergency room. As you noticed, I was in a fight," Harry replied defiantly. "Took ten stitches to close up a cut on my arm, and this isn't helping!" He glared at Chin angrily.

Chin loosened his grip slightly.

"Come on, Harry, you get a free trip downtown while we check out your story," Steve said. "Are you going to cooperate, or do we have to cuff you?"

Harry knew that he didn't stand a chance against the two larger men so he went quietly while the two detectives escorted him to the big Mercury.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A.N. – Thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing this story. I appreciate your feedback! This chapter introduces Danny's undercover assignment.**_

**Chapter 4**

"Okay Che, thanks," Steve said. "Yeah, I owe you one!"

The lead detective replaced the receiver on its cradle and sat down at his desk. Then he loosened his tie and undid the top three buttons of his dress shirt. He glanced up as his three men filed into the office armed with their notebooks and the group's order of take-out dinner. As the palm trees cast their long shadows on the walls of the Iolani Palace, they settled into the white leather chairs and ate.

While they picked at the remains of their cartons of Chinese food, they reviewed the small amount of information they had gathered about the late Peter O'Neal and possible motives for his murder. They had no leads at all. Chin had learned that Harry Chang's alibi was solid, confirmed by a doctor and two nurses at the emergency room at Leahi Hospital.

Kono had interviewed Professor Lee and Danny had spoken with Mrs. Keoki, Peter's landlady. Both were shocked and saddened by the news of his death. From Mrs. Keoki, Danny had learned that Peter was quiet, studious and paid his rent on time. Professor Lee had told Kono that Peter had a brilliant mind and a promising future, in spite of his recent lapses in responsible behavior. Neither one was aware that Peter had used heroin.

"Gentlemen, we're getting nowhere fast and the trail is getting cold. Go home and get some sleep; we'll start again first thing tomorrow," Steve said, fatigue in his voice.

Grateful for the dismissal, Chin and Kono rose from their seats, gathered their notes and what was left of their dinner then exited the big office. Danny stayed behind.

"G'night, Boss," Kono called out as he left.

"You need sleep, too; don't stay too late," Chin said to the two remaining detectives before closing the door behind him. Maybe he'd be able to make it home before all his kids had been put to bed.

Steve was not surprised that Danny was still there. The young man was certainly following in his footsteps, even emulating his work habits. Danny watched in silence as his boss stretched, walked out to the lanai and stood staring into the starlit night sky for several minutes.

_It makes sense, _Steve thought, although he shuddered to think that he might be putting his best friend in harm's way. _He looks young enough, I'm sure he could pass for a graduate student. It's the only way to get more information; students will open up to other students._

"Steve?" Danny asked when the silence became too thick. "Something on your mind?"

"Danno, how much chemistry do you remember?"

"Not much, just the basics I guess. Why?"

"Professor Lee is going to need a new graduate assistant. I'd like you to take the job."

Steve watched carefully for Danny's reaction. After the few seconds it took to process the idea, Danny looked up at his boss.

"Undercover? Steve, I'm not sure I remember _that_ much chemistry."

"Danno, I think it will work. It may be the only way to get more information about Peter O'Neal. We'll start working on your background story tonight. Professor Lee is a friend of mine, I'm sure he'll cooperate."

"All right, Steve, I'm game," said Danny more confidently. "Let's get started."

_o-o-o_

Time passed quickly. At a quarter to midnight, Steve was still quizzing Danny on the details of his new identity, but both men were getting tired.

"Name?"

"Dan Wilkins."

"Hometown?"

"Berkley, California."

"Why did you transfer to the University of Hawaii?"

"I like to surf. And I'm studying the effects of lava and volcanic ash on the biochemistry of soil. What better place than Hawaii?"

"Title of your master's thesis?"

Danny's brow wrinkled as he dredged up the long title.

"The Impact of Industrial Pollution on Soil Chemistry and the Implications for Crops and Ground Water Quality."

Danny took a deep breath after that mouthful and sighed. Steve looked sympathetically at his weary detective. The young man had been awake since the call to supervise the crime scene at the beach early that morning.

"Okay, Danno, time to quit. Go home, get some rest."

Danny got up, stretched, then picked up his jacket and what was left of his Chinese food before he started toward the door.

"Goodnight, Steve," he said with a half-smile. He paused as he grasped the doorknob, finally deciding to admit what was bothering him. "Steve?"

"What is it, Danno?"

"I'm fine with this background information, but I'm not sure that I have the technical knowledge and skills to be believable as a lab assistant."

Steve grinned at the confession.

"That's why you'll be spending a large part of tomorrow in the lab with Che. Call it on-the-job training."

Danny returned the grin. "You think of everything, Steve. Thanks…I think."

_o-o-o_

By the time Danny got home to his apartment, he was exhausted. He tossed his jacket on the couch and put his revolver, badge and wallet on his dresser. He brushed his teeth, got undressed and crawled into bed as quickly as he could. Half the night was already gone and he knew that he needed his sleep for tomorrow. Tired as he was, his mind was still racing with the details of his upcoming assignment. He closed his eyes and tried to relax.

_Danny Wilkins… Berkley… soil chemistry… mmm… pollution… volcanoes… surfing… ah…surfing…_

He drifted off into a deep sleep. His pleasant dreams of surfing the pipe on the North Shore soon morphed into the classic "I'm-not-ready-for-this" anxiety dream:

_He found a seat in the enormous tiered lecture hall as the proctors were distributing the final exam. It looked like a novel – ten pages at least. Then Danny realized that he hadn't attended even one lecture of this class._

"_Excuse me, sir, there must be some mistake. I haven't..." _

"_You'd better get to work, Williams, you only have forty minutes left."_

"_But…"_

"_Shush…get to work!"_

_Then Danny realized that he was sitting there clad only in his underwear. He glanced around the room. Everyone was staring at him. The girls started to giggle. How mortifying!_

_The buzzer sounded and the proctor called time. Danny hadn't even read the first question. The buzzer sounded again…_

Danny woke with a start and turned off the alarm. Breathing rapidly, he sat up, ran his hand over his face and through his mussed up curlsand shook his head.

_Wow, I hope that's not a bad omen, _he thought.

He got up, showered, shaved and dressed, wondering what it was going to be like to spend the day in the crime lab.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Good morning, Dan," greeted a smiling Che Fong.

"Hi, Che. I appreciate your taking the time to help me out," Danny replied as he hung up his suit coat and rolled up his sleeves. "Where do we start?"

The forensic scientist handed Danny a lab coat about his size.

"Here, put this on. It will protect your clothes and you'll also look the part. Are you ready for chemistry boot-camp?" Che asked with a twinkle in his eye.

Danny swallowed and nodded. "Sure…I think."

"Alright, let's start with some vocabulary."

Che had set out an assortment of laboratory glassware on one table, each piece with a paper label in front. There were beakers, test tubes, graduated cylinders, burets and flasks – so many different types of flasks! Distillation flask, volumetric flask, Erlenmeyer flask, Büchner flask, Florence flask…

_How am I going to remember all this? _Danny wondered.

After his round of show-and-tell, Che removed the labels and started quizzing Danny on the different terms. Che knew what an overwhelming task this was for the young detective, and to his credit he was very patient and encouraging. It helped that Danny was a quick study. To the young man's surprise, he remembered most of the names.

Then they talked about lab safety and safety equipment. Goggles, asbestos gloves, fume hoods, how to clean up solid and liquid spills, which common chemicals were the most hazardous. Che showed Danny how to attach a Bunsen burner to a gas jet and light it with a flint sparker, how to weigh out dry substances using a triple beam balance and how to properly load and operate the centrifuge. Danny tried his hand at using each piece of equipment. He caught on quickly and actually found himself enjoying the new experience. Che was impressed.

"Very good, Dan, you have a knack for this! I may have to tell Steve that I'm keeping you!"

"Thanks, Che, this is interesting stuff."

By lunchtime, Danny was feeling more confident. After lunch, the training continued.

"Now I'm going to show you some set-ups for common procedures: distillation, acid-base titration, and collecting a gas over a liquid," Che said. "I've spoken with Professor Lee about the labs scheduled for the next two weeks. You'll have to build these by yourself at the university."

"These look kind of familiar. I think it's coming back to me from freshman chemistry."

Danny carefully followed the older man's instructions and assembled the stands, glassware and tubing like the models that were already set up. He had some trouble filling the buret, spilling some of the liquid down the outside of the long glass tube. Fortunately, it was just distilled water. It would probably be some type of acid at the university, and he would have to have a steadier hand.

Che brushed it off. "Don't worry, Dan, you're doing fine."

They were interrupted by the ringing of the telephone. Che stepped over to the desk and picked up the receiver.

"Crime lab, Che Fong speaking…"

On hearing the voice at the other end, the small man broke into a smile.

"Just a few minutes, we're almost done. Bye."

Danny was in the process of cleaning up his spill when Che returned.

"Congratulations, Dan, you've made it through my crash course in lab procedures. You're ready for your assignment at the university."

Danny looked up sheepishly. "I hope so; I'm not sure I'm ready to fly solo yet."

"I think I can help with that," Che said with a grin. "There's someone I'd like you to meet."

He walked to the door and opened it, allowing a young woman to enter the lab.

She was close to Che's height, slim, about twenty-two years old by Danny's estimate, stylishly dressed in a paisley-print peasant blouse, bell-bottomed jeans and leather sandals. Her straight waist-length black hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and her mod wire-framed glasses were perched on top of her head.

"Dan, this is my daughter Lindsey. Lindsey, this is Detective Dan Williams."

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Williams," Lindsey said confidently as she looked Danny squarely in the eye and extended her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Lindsey," Danny replied as he shook her hand. Surprised by the firmness of her grip, he raised his eyebrows and glanced toward Che.

Amused by Danny's reaction, Che chuckled. "She's a product of Women's Lib, Dan. Lindsey's a senior chemistry major at the university and she's agreed to help you out with your lab work in the evenings. She's often in the lab anyway, so it won't look suspicious, and you'll be able to concentrate more on the detective work."

"I'll be happy to help you in any way that I can, Mr. Williams," Lindsey added in a matter-of-fact tone, eyeing the handsome detective.

"Thank you, Lindsey, I'll probably need a lot of help," Danny replied genuinely, meeting Lindsey's gaze. "Oh, and when I'm on campus, I'll be known as 'Dan Wilkins'. I think it will be easier if you call me 'Danny'."

"Okay, I can do that…Danny," Lindsey replied, still gazing into his Pacific blue eyes.

Che put his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Better get back to school, Sweetheart."

"Okay, Dad. See ya later!" Lindsey responded, turning toward her father. She gave Che a quick kiss, nodded to Danny and left the lab.

"Wow, Che, she's really something!" Danny said. "You must be very proud of her."

"Thanks, I am proud of her, especially since she'd kind of following in my footsteps," Che replied, beaming.

After a few seconds, Che's smile faded and was replaced by the look of a concerned father. His voice became quiet and serious.

"Please, Dan, if there's any danger in this assignment I want Lindsey well out of the way. She wants to do this, but I'm counting on you to keep her safe."

"Don't worry, Che, I won't let anything happen to her. You have my word."

_o-o-o_

It was almost four thirty by the time Danny entered the Five-O office suite. Jenny looked up from her typing and smiled at him.

"Hi, Danny, we missed you today. Go on in, Steve's expecting you," the secretary said, motioning toward the boss's door.

"Thanks, Jenny," Danny replied as he continued past his own cubicle and entered Steve's office.

"How did it go with Che?" Steve asked, glancing up at his second-in-command.

"Fine, Steve. Che says that I'm ready to work in the lab."

"And what do you say?"

"I'll do my best, Steve. I'll be okay," Danny responded with a confident smile.

Chin and Kono exchanged amused looks. Steve had already briefed them on the plan for the undercover assignment. Even though they were on their way out of the office, the temptation to tease their younger colleague was irresistible.

"How's da schoolboy? Kono asked with a grin, poking Danny in the chest with his finger.

"Yeah," Chin joined in, laughing. "No more night life for you, you'll have to stay home and hit the books like my kids!"

Danny smirked at the comments, and then glanced at Steve with a pleading look.

Steve grinned briefly at the good-natured ribbing. There were times when his men truly acted like brothers, and it warmed his heart. Just as quickly, though, he was back to business.

"Don't you two have work to do?" he asked with a straight face as he eyed the jovial pair.

Chin and Kono made a hasty retreat, and Danny sank down in one of the white leather chairs in front of his boss's desk. Steve turned his attention back to his youngest detective.

"Okay, Danno, you know what we're looking for; keep your eyes and ears open for evidence of drug deals or any unexplained missing chemicals. I'll expect a daily progress report; use an off-campus pay phone to be safe.

"Will do, Steve."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

On Monday morning, Danny arrived at Professor Lee's chemistry lab dressed casually in khakis and a polo shirt. He brought the lab coat that Che had loaned him and a black composition book for notes. He had left his badge and revolver at home, but as usual, his .22 was strapped to his ankle. Professor Lee introduced him to the other students and grad assistants as Danny Wilkins, a PhD student who had recently transferred from Berkley.

Danny sat through a few classes that morning pretending to take notes but was actually watching the students and listening to side conversations. It was just as important for the students to see him in the normal routine of a graduate assistant, thus securing his cover. He also spent some time in the lab learning his way around and again, watching and listening to students. Little did Danny know, he was also being watched.

At lunchtime as he walked across campus toward the snack bar, he saw a familiar face approaching him.

"Hi Lindsey!" Danny said, smiling at Lindsey Fong who was dressed in a tie-dyed t-shirt, beaded necklace and denim mini skirt. It was kind of a relief for him to see someone who wasn't a stranger.

"Hi Danny, want to have lunch?" Lindsey asked, removing her glasses and placing them on the top of her head.

"I'd love to have lunch with you," Danny replied. "I've had a busy morning."

The pair purchased a couple of cheeseburgers and drinks at the snack bar, found a picnic table and sat down for lunch.

"Welcome to the university," Lindsey said, eyeing the young detective from across the table. She lowered her voice and continued. "I know that you're here because of Peter. His death was quite a shock to the chemistry department."

Lindsey's opening topic of conversation caught Danny off-guard, and he cringed at her next question.

"Fill me in – what are you going to be looking for?"

"I can't talk about that, Lindsey," Danny whispered. "It would blow my cover if someone overheard and it could put you in danger, too and I won't do that. I promised your father," he added, a little more sternly than he intended.

"I can take care of myself, Danny," Lindsey whispered back defiantly but her disappointment was evident in her eyes.

_Darned Women's Lib, _thought Danny, even though a large part of him appreciated her interest in his work, her spirit and intelligence.

"There's not that much to tell, anyway," Danny gently continued, smiling once more. "All we have is a blood type and a shoe print."

"Okay then, my lips are sealed," Lindsey said, her spunk returning. "What can I do to help?"

"Well, I need to prepare solutions and equipment for tomorrow's labs. I could really use your help with that," Danny replied. "Can you meet me in the lab around six o'clock this evening?"

"Sure," said Lindsey. "It's a date!"

_Well, it's not really a date,_ thought Danny, but he grinned anyway.

_o-o-o_

Gil and Sam sat on the ground at a safe distance, from which they watched the couple chatting and laughing at the picnic table. They were not close enough to hear the conversation, but they didn't take their eyes away from Danny and Lindsey.

"We've got to find some way to control this new guy," Gil said.

"Remember how long it took to find out about Pete's heroin habit?" Sam remarked. "He was pretty damned discrete about it – even shot up behind his knees!"

"Yeah, I remember. Who's the China doll?" Gil asked, nodding toward Lindsey. "Looks like he's sweet on her. Maybe we could use that to our advantage!"

"That's Lindsey Fong," Sam answered. "She's in my calculus class. She's really smart, not to mention a real looker! Maybe…"

"Shh, they're coming this way," Gil whispered.

Gil and Sam cut short their discussion as Danny and Lindsey walked right past them.

_o-o-o_

That evening, Lindsey helped Danny build eight distillation apparatuses and prepare the chemicals needed at each bench for the morning labs. Danny chuckled to himself at the sight of Lindsey in her lab coat, working with the glassware and tubing. To him, she looked like a smaller, feminine version of Che. _She's_ _all business in the lab, like she was born to__it__, _Danny thought. When they finished, he turned out the lights, locked up and walked Lindsey to her dorm. Then he drove off campus to call Steve.

His boss picked up the phone on the first ring.

"_McGarrett..."_

"Hi Steve, it's Danny."

"_How was your first day?"_

"Fine, but I didn't really learn anything. Just normal conversations you'd expect about a student's death; nothing out of the ordinary."

"_Nothing more on this end either. I hear that y__ou have an experienced assistant."_

"Yeah, and she's really amazing, Steve."

"_I'll bet she is. Just remember why you're there, Danno."_

"I will, Steve. I'll check in tomorrow."

"_Bye"_

_o-o-o_

Several days passed and still no evidence of heroin traffic on campus or any more chemicals missing from the stockroom. Danny was beginning to wonder if this assignment was worth the time he was spending away from the office. On the other hand, it wasn't the worst undercover gig he'd ever had. He was actually surprised at how comfortable he felt with Lindsey. She was easy to talk to, an invaluable asset to him in the lab and as it turned out they had similar interests in music and cars. In the eyes of everyone else on campus, they were a couple.

Sam Makala and Gil McCarthy had been keeping very close tabs on them. The young Hawaiian had calmed down during the last few days and seemed to have his guilt over Peter's death under control, at least on the surface. While Gil wasn't so sure about this, he was pleased that Sam's concerns had returned to business.

"Gil, final exams are in three weeks," Sam said, as they stood under a tree outside the chemistry building out of earshot of the other students. "Lots of the guys want to know when we can deliver. We've got to do something now!"

"I know, man! We've got everything else, except our biggest seller," Gil replied.

They caught sight of Danny and Lindsey leaving the building and walking across campus toward the student union.

"Just look at that haole with Lindsey!" Sam snidely commented as he watched the pair walking side by side. "He follows her around like a puppy. I say we snatch her. Then he'll do anything we say."

"Kidnapping?" Gil said incredulously. "No, it's too risky. We don't want to attract any cops. We're just going to have to steal it ourselves and keep everything under the radar. You've got your share of breaking and entering experience."

"I don't know, Gil. That's risky, too," Sam said nervously. "That's why we agreed to keep all our business dealings off campus."

"I know, but this'll be easy; in-and-out quick after "lover boy" and his China doll lock up for the night. We're doing this tonight, Sam. Bring your tools!" Gil said emphatically, leaving Sam no other options.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Danny and Lindsey decided to get an early start on the lab work that afternoon since there was a lot to do. They had to set up eight stations and one demo for acid-base titration and prepare and code-label eight unknown acid samples. They started working on the chemicals first and planned to set up the glassware that night after dinner. After they mixed and labeled the acid samples, they distributed the samples, indicators and base solutions at each station. Then they washed up, Danny locked the door and they headed for the snack bar.

When they returned to the lab after dinner, Danny pulled out his key to unlock the door but found it was already open. _I know that I locked this door, _Danny thought as he cautiously entered the room ahead of Lindsey. From across the room, they could see that the light was on in the stockroom and they heard movement.

"Somebody's in there," Lindsey whispered, grabbing Danny's arm.

"Yeah," Danny responded. Remembering his promise to Che, he turned, looked Lindsey in the eye and firmly gripped her shoulder. "You need to get out of here _right now_, no arguments!" he whispered in a serious and commanding tone, leaving Lindsey no choice but to obey.

"Please be careful," Lindsey whispered back looking up at Danny with a worried expression. Then she quietly turned to leave, but on her way out she grabbed the large stock bottle of phenolphthalein off the cart. She exited the lab, fearful for what Danny was about to encounter.

_o-o-o_

From the doorway of the stockroom, Danny could see the back of a young Hawaiian who was busy jimmying open the drawer of the file cabinet.

"What are you doing?" Danny demanded as he approached and grabbed the young man's arms, restraining him just as the drawer slid open.

Startled, Sam turned around to look at Danny while he struggled to break free from the detective's hold.

"Lemme go!" Sam demanded under his breath.

As Danny dealt with Sam, he didn't realize that Gil was behind the open door, just as surprised as Sam had been at the interruption. Gil grabbed the first thing he saw, a large graduated cylinder, and heaved it downward like a club on Danny's head, breaking the glass. The jagged edge sliced deeply into the detective's scalp. Danny cried out in pain, and then crumpled to the floor as his mind slid into nothingness, the warmth of his blood soaking his shirt and pooling on the floor.

"Grab that file and let's get out of here!" Gil ordered as he stepped over Danny's still form and grabbed a stunned Sam by the shirt. Sam quickly pulled out the file folder, closed the drawer then he and Gil headed out of the stockroom and out the lab door. Neither of them noticed that they had stepped in a small puddle just outside the doorway.

_o-o-o_

Lindsey carefully watched and listened from her hiding place. After hearing the receding footsteps of the intruders leaving the building, she waited until she felt it was safe, and then returned to the lab. She was greeted by an eerie silence which was soon broken by a low moan coming from the stockroom. After reaching the small room, she took a sharp breath at the sight of the young detective struggling to raise his bleeding head from the broken glass on the floor.

"Danny!" Lindsey cried out, rushing to his side. "What happened?"

Danny was not yet coherent enough to respond. Lindsey grabbed a towel off the shelf, knelt beside the injured man and inspected the wound for shards of glass amongst the sandy curls. Finding none, she gently pressed the towel over the gash. Danny hissed at the sudden, sharp pain.

"Easy, Danny," Lindsey said as she carefully helped him to a sitting position.

"Lindsey!" Danny gasped with a start as his awareness of the situation rapidly returned. "I told you to get out of here…dangerous…"

"They're long gone, Danny, and you need help. I'm going to call for an ambulance."

"No…no ambulance…just call Steve…call the office," Danny managed to get out as he concentrated on controlling the pain.

Lindsey took Danny's hand and positioned it over the towel that was now warm and sticky with his blood.

"Hold this; I'll be right back." Lindsey rose to her feet and reluctantly left to find a pay phone.

_o-o-o_

Steve and Chin arrived at the university in less than fifteen minutes. Steve nerves were on edge, and he couldn't get to his downed officer fast enough. His expression was a mixture of fear and concern surfacing from beneath his mask of professionalism. He was somewhat relieved to find Danny sitting up and conscious, with Lindsey seated beside him holding a fresh towel and a bag of ice to his head. But the amount of blood on the floor and towels still worried him.

"Danno!" Steve exclaimed as he reached the pair on the floor.

"I think he needs stitches," Lindsey calmly explained as she looked up at the dark haired detective, who was looking over his second-in-command and quickly coming to the same conclusion.

"S… Steve," Danny said between labored breaths. "There were two of them…one was breaking into the file cabinet…"

"File cabinet?" Steve asked, genuinely confused as he knelt in front of the injured detective. "They broke into the file cabinet and didn't take any chemicals?"

"Yeah, don't know why. The kid wore gloves…no prints."

"Did you get a look at them, Danno?"

"One of them…for just a few seconds...Hawaiian, tall, slim…"

Chin returned from his brief inspection of the room and glanced sympathetically at his bleeding colleague and back to his boss.

"Steve, the door to the lab was forced open," Chin began. "Nothing else is out of place that I can see."

"I knew I locked that door," Danny whispered through gritted teeth.

Steve gently gripped Danny's shoulder and placed his hand over the towel and ice bag while Chin helped Lindsey to her feet.

"Okay, Danno, let's get you to the hospital," Steve said, lifting the man to a standing position, but keeping one arm around his shoulder for support. "Chin, get the lab boys over here…and please make sure that Lindsey gets home safely," he added on his way out the door.

Chin was relieved that Danny was safe and on his way to the hospital. He relaxed and smiled at Lindsey. "I'm glad that you're okay. Your father would have a fit if…"

"I'm just fine, Mr. Kelly," Lindsey cut in.

"Did you see either of the men?" Chin asked, returning to business.

"No, but I may have their footprints," Lindsey replied with a grin.

Chin glanced down at the hard vinyl surface at his feet then looked back at the petite young woman. "What? How?"

"Follow me!"

Lindsey pulled an empty spray bottle off the shelf and carefully filled it with the diluted sodium hydroxide solution she and Danny had prepared for tomorrow's lab. Then she led the puzzled detective to the hallway outside the lab. Again, he looked at the floor – nothing unusual. Lindsey began to spray the floor with the liquid from the bottle, broadly covering the area as she walked away from the door. To Chin's surprise, dark pink shoe prints appeared where the spray hit the floor. One of the prints looked like it could be an eleven narrow and it had an irregular v-shaped indentation!

Chin's face lit up in a broad smile and he laughed out loud.

"Your father's going to be mighty proud of you, Lindsey!"


	8. Chapter 8

_**A.N. Happy Belated Birthday to my wonderful beta, Tanith2011!**_

**Chapter 8**

The next day, Danny sat in Steve's office for the morning staff meeting. The night before, Doc Bergman had stitched and bandaged his head and sent him home with orders to rest. But Danny figured that he could rest just as well at the office and keep up with the details of the case at the same time. Due to the injury, Steve had pulled him off the undercover assignment and called Professor Lee to explain the situation.

"How are you feeling, Danny?" Chin asked his younger colleague as he entered the private office.

"Better," Danny responded, managing half a smile.

"Best you stay outta da wild frat parties, Bruddah!" Kono teased as he joined the group, his mouth half full of donut.

Danny shot him an annoyed look before Steve cleared his throat and brought their attention back to the case.

"What have we got?" Steve asked.

Chin opened his folder and answered first.

"The lab boys dusted every surface in the stockroom. No prints other than Danny's, Professor Lee's and Lindsey Fong's.

"Both of them must have worn gloves," Danny commented.

"Professor Lee says that the only thing missing from the file cabinet is the answer key to the general chemistry final exam," Chin continued.

"Answers to the final exam?" Steve responded with surprise in his voice. He folded his arms, stepped away from his desk and turned to stare out the window. After a few minutes, he turned back to his men.

"You may have just run into some bad luck, Danno," Steve continued. "I don't see how this break-in could be connected with Peter O'Neal's murder. Anything else, Chin?"

"Yeah, boss, get this: Lindsey got some very clear shoe prints in the hallway outside the lab. One exactly matches the cast that Che made of the print at the murder site!"

"_Lindsey_ got the prints?" Steve repeated, surprised once more. His eyebrows shot up his forehead and a smile spread across his face. He chuckled and shook his head. "We may have to put her on the payroll, gentlemen!"

Danny grinned back at his boss as he recalled his earlier impression: _a smaller, feminine version of Che, indeed!_

"Sounds like a connection to me, Boss!" Kono commented.

"You may be right, Kono. But would someone actually kill in order to cheat on a test?" Steve wondered aloud. "Doesn't seem likely." Steve paced the floor for a few minutes, stopped and snapped his fingers several times. "We need more information. We need to put these pieces together. Danno?"

"Yeah, Steve?" Danny responded.

"I want you to spend some time with the police artist. Let's see if we can get a sketch of the kid who broke into that file cabinet."

_o-o-o_

Gil smiled at Sam as he tucked their new acquisition into the box with the other exam keys, lowered the box into the hole under the bed and replaced the floorboards over the hole. "We're open for business now!" Gil declared.

"Yeah, they'll be lining up all the way down the street," Sam added, his greed replacing his guilt. "At fifty bucks a pop, we'll be rich!"

The pair started to pack up their books to leave for their next classes, when Sam's smile faded.

"Hey, what about that haole lab assistant? I think he got a look at me, Gil. What if he can identify me?"

"Quit worrying, Sam! I knocked that guy senseless. He'll be lucky if he can remember his own name!"

_o-o-o_

After a good half hour or so with the HPD sketch artist, Danny was feeling drained. _Good thing that Joel is patient, _he mused. _I thought I was going to drive him crazy! _

The young detective returned to his boss's office, folder in hand.

"How'd it go?" Steve asked, looking up from his desk at his second-in-command.

Danny handed the folder containing the sketch to his boss, who opened the folder and studied the drawing.

"Slow, but I think this is a good likeness. I only got a glimpse of him, Steve. Just a few seconds before the other guy cleaned my clock."

Steve noticed that his protégé was pale and seemed a little wobbly.

"Speaking of which, I think you'd better sit down before you fall down, my friend."

"Yeah, I'm pretty wiped out," Danny said as he lower himself into one of the white leather chairs.

Steve eyed the tired detective and grinned.

"If Doc knew you were here, he'd have both of our heads," Steve remarked before returning to business.

"That's for sure," Danny quietly agreed.

"So, do you recognize this guy?" Steve asked.

"No, I don't. But, you know, Lindsey might be able to identify him. She knows a lot of the kids on campus."

"Good idea," said Steve. He reached for the telephone and dialed a familiar number.

"_Crime lab, Ch__e Fong speaking."_

"Hi Che, it's Steve. Listen, I'd like you to bring Lindsey in to my office as soon as possible."

"_Sure, Steve. Is anything wrong?"_

"No, I'd like her to look at a sketch. Maybe she can help us make a positive identification," Steve began. "Oh and Che? We were pretty impressed that Lindsey had the forethought to get those shoe prints last night. We may have to hire her when she graduates."

"_Thanks, Steve. Her class ends in twenty minutes. I'll bring her in myself. Bye."_

The pride in Che's voice came through the telephone as clear as the Hawaiian sky. Steve knew that the forensic scientist was grinning from ear to ear.

_o-o-o_

Lindsey and Che arrived at the palace and entered the Five-O office suite. Jenny looked up from her filing to greet them.

"Hi Che, Lindsey. Go ahead in; they're waiting for you," the secretary said nodding toward the open door of Steve's private office.

Steve stood, walked to the front of his desk and greeted the father and daughter as they walked into the office.

Danny also rose to his feet, although slowly. The last time he had seen Lindsey, she was in jeans, sneakers and her lab coat, which was stained with his blood. Now she looked beautiful in a flowing batik-print skirt and a simple t-shirt adorned with a jade heart-shaped pendant on a silver chain. Her silky black hair fell loosely to her waist and her glasses were perched on top of her head.

"Hi Lindsey, Che," Danny greeted.

"Danny, how are you feeling?" Lindsey asked.

"Better, thanks to you," Danny replied sincerely with a smile.

"Hi Dan," Che said. "I'm sorry to hear that you were hurt."

"Thanks, Che," Danny said as he again took his seat.

"Please, have a seat," Steve offered the visitors.

"Dad says that you want me to look at a sketch," Lindsey said, looking the lead detective in the eye as she sat in one of the white leather chairs.

"That's right," Steve replied. He reached for the sketch on his desk and handed it to the young woman. "Do you recognize this person?"

Lindsey pulled her glasses off the top of her head and put them on so she could study the face closely.

"Take your time, Sweetheart," Che said.

"This looks like Sam Makala," she said looking up from the drawing. "He's in my calculus class."

"Are you sure?" Steve asked.

"Positive, Mr. McGarrett. We've had several classes together."

"Now we're getting somewhere!" Steve responded enthusiastically. "Thank you, Lindsey, you've been a big help."

Lindsey stood and shook hands with the tall detective, nodded at Danny and turned to leave with her father. As soon as the pair left, Steve picked up the phone and punched the button for Kono's extension.

"Kono, call the university and get an address for a Sam Makala. Then I want you and Chin to pick him up - top priority."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Chin and Kono arrived at the small off-campus bungalow that was currently rented by Gil McCarthy and Sam Makala. They approached the house with caution, not knowing who was inside, and not wanting to scare off any of the residents.

"Kono, you take the back and I'll knock," Chin said as they surveyed their surroundings.

Kono nodded in response and quietly jogged to the back of the structure.

When Sam answered the knock at the front door and saw Chin flash his badge, he turned and bolted through the house and out the back door. Just as quickly, he found himself engulfed in Kono's large arms, unable to move.

"Hey, what's the idea?" Sam shouted angrily as he struggled against the large Hawaiian.

"We need answers from you, Bruddah. You ain't goin' nowhere 'cept with us," Kono told Sam just as Chin appeared in the back doorway.

"Chin, check his shoes," Kono said as he lifted the youth high enough for the older detective to inspect the soles of his sneakers.

A smile broke out on Chin's face after examining Sam's right sole and finding a v-shaped indentation.

"Got a match, Kono! Let's take this fella downtown."

_o-o-o_

From a safe distance across the street, Gil McCarthy sat in his car and watched the activity that was taking place at his house. He was close enough to see the Oriental man flip open a wallet at the door. _Damn, it's the fuzz, _he concluded.

He slumped low in the driver's seat and waited to see what would happen next. After a few minutes, he saw the same man and a large Hawaiian man return to their parked car with Sam between them, his hands cuffed behind his back!

_Damn! Sam must have been right about that guy seeing him last night. But he didn't…he couldn't…damn, what if he saw me, too?_

Gil's mind was racing as he tried to figure out how to salvage what he thought was a well-planned operation. _With Sam out of the way, all the money will be mine! But I gotta make sure that Wilkins dude won't finger me, too!_

After waiting five more minutes, Gil exited the car, ran into the house, pulled the box of exam keys from its hiding place and grabbed his loaded pistol. He returned to the car, hid the box in the trunk, gunned the engine and headed for the university.

_o-o-o_

Sam was sweating bullets as he sat in the white leather chair in Steve McGarrett's private office. The head of Five-O sat on the edge of his desk and leaned forward, staring directly at the young Hawaiian with an intense expression. The other three detectives were also in the room, but not quite so intimidating. Sam immediately recognized Danny from the night before and realized now that he was a cop.

"Okay, Sam, we have solid evidence that places you at the scene of Peter O'Neal's murder," Steve began. "We also have an eye witness to your break-in at the chemistry lab last night and we know that you had an accomplice. Tell us what happened to Peter."

Steve observed the young man's agitated state, his defeated posture and shaking shoulders and tear-stained face when he lifted his head to speak. The guilt that Sam had worked so hard to suppress now threatened to overcome him.

"It was an accident…" Sam said so quietly that he was almost not heard.

"Say again?" Steve demanded bluntly.

"I never meant to kill him, it was an accident," Sam sobbed more audibly.

Steve made brief eye contact with each of his three detectives as he reached over and pushed the record button of the tape recorder on his desk.

"Start from the top, Sam," Steve said a little more gently.

"Pete was the grad assistant for Professor Lee. He was supposed to steal the answer key to the gen chem final and deliver it to me for a hundred dollars."

Kono whistled. "A hundred bucks? Man, dat's a lot of dough!"

"He needed the money for his heroin habit. We met at the scenic overlook off the Kalanianaole highway for the exchange, but Pete was holding out for more bread. He was wild, you know? He must have been high or something."

"He needed a fix, Sam, and that's worse," Chin explained.

"Then what happened?" Steve pressed.

"We got into a fight. It was dark, I was afraid that one or both of us would go over the edge of the cliff. At one point, I hit him; he fell, and didn't get up." Sam's voice trembled as his mind replayed the horrible events of that night; he hung his head and ran his hand over his face before he was able to continue.

"Then it got very quiet and I got real scared. I felt around on the ground and found him. He was dead, man, _Pete was dead!"_ the young man sobbed and hung his head once more.

"What did you do then?" Steve urged him to continue.

Sam raised his head and looked Steve in the eye. His face twisted in anguish.

"I panicked! I didn't know what to do! I pushed his body over the cliff…"

"Did anyone see you? Can anyone back up your story?"

"No. But I swear, I didn't mean to kill him, _you gotta believe me!"_

"What about last night, Sam? You were seen breaking into the file cabinet in Professor Lee's lab." Steve nodded toward Danny. "Mr. Williams here was hit from behind and could have been seriously injured. Now…who hit him, Sam? With whom were you working?"

Sam went quiet. After several minutes of silence, Steve turned off the tape recorder before he spoke again.

"Sam, you're already in serious trouble. What happens to you next may depend on whether or not you choose to cooperate. I don't make deals, but if you tell us everything you know, I can talk to the district attorney and maybe, just maybe things will go easier for you."

The lead detective waited a few minutes for Sam to consider his options.

Sam squirmed in his seat and stared straight ahead. The room seemed to be closing in on him.

"Okay, okay!" Sam finally conceded.

Steve restarted the tape recorder and continued the interrogation.

"Alright, Sam, give us a name. We know that you weren't alone last night."

"Gil McCarthy. He's my housemate. This was all his idea."

Giving up this information seemed to drain the young man of any resistance he had left. In a way, he felt relieved and knew that he would now lay the entire operation on the table.

"So you and Gil are pretty desperate to pass chemistry; it's worth a hundred bucks to you? Worth charges of breaking and entering and assault…even murder?" Steve asked.

"No, man, it's business," Sam replied.

"Business? Explain," Steve commanded.

"Don't you read the papers?" Sam began. "Lots of guys are going to college to avoid the draft. If they wash out, it's a one-way ticket to Vietnam. Guys will pay top dollar for those exam keys if it means they will stay in college and stay alive. We were going to make a ton of bread." Sam took a breath before he continued. "Gil has a whole collection of exam keys from different departments. He usually finds some way to blackmail the grad assistants into stealing the keys for him in addition to the money."

"With Pete, it was his drug habit - he wanted to keep it a secret," Steve surmised.

"Yeah," Sam responded. "Then we make enough copies of each key to meet the demand."

Steve shut off the tape recorder and stood up.

"Kono, take him down to HPD lock-up and book him."

Kono took Sam by the arm, lifted him up from the chair and led him out of the office, closing the door behind him.

"Chin, we're going to pick up Gil McCarthy," Steve said tersely as he grabbed his jacket and shoulder holster.

Danny rose from his seat to follow, but his boss stopped him.

"Not you this time, Danno. You're done in already and I don't want to take chances with that head wound," Steve said on his way out the door.

Danny returned to the cubicle, his disappointment evident on his face.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Hawaii Five-O," Jenny Sherman answered the phone in her usual cheerful manner. On hearing the voice on the other end, her smile was replaced with a worried expression. She put her hand over the mouthpiece and leaned toward the doorway of Danny's cubicle.

"You'd better take this, Danny," the secretary said in a serious tone as she hit the button to transfer the call.

"Williams," Danny answered.

"_Danny, it's Lindsey. I'm okay, but..."_

The young woman's shaky voice was cut off as if the phone had been yanked away from her and was replaced by a threatening male voice.

"_Okay, Danny boy, if you want your doll to stay healthy, you'll do exactly what I say…"_

Jenny watched the young detective's body language change in an instant from exhaustion to alertness, concern, then to sharp anger. He slammed down the phone and was on his feet, shedding his jacket and tie. At the same time, Kono walked into the office suite after depositing Sam at HPD lock-up.

"Let's go, Kono," Danny ordered before Jenny could even greet the Hawaiian detective. "Gil has taken Lindsey. He wants me in exchange. I can't let anything happen to her."

Kono was out the door at Danny's heel. "Da boss ain't gonna like dis, he wanted you to stay put," Kono called to Danny, trying to keep up as the pair sprinted down the Palace steps.

"Can't help it, Kono! He'll understand," Danny called back. _I hope…_

_o-o-o_

Danny and Kono pulled up in front of an old abandoned house at the foot of the hills off the Kamehameha highway on the windward side of the island. On the way, Danny had explained to Kono that Gil had insisted that he come alone, no cops. "He doesn't even know that I'm a cop!" Danny added.

They had contacted Steve by radio on the way, and he and Chin were en route. Kono had been watching Danny's determined expression on the twenty minute trip; he knew that look and it worried him.

"Kono, I'm going in there alone. It's the only way," Danny told his friend. "Cover me, but don't let him see you.

"Okay, Bruddah, but you be careful," Kono warned. "You don't know if he's armed."

Kono ducked down in the seat while Danny exited the car, jogged across the street and knocked on the door of the run-down house. When Kono saw Danny enter the house, he left the car and quietly approached the structure with his gun drawn.

Danny's blood boiled at the sight that greeted him in the doorway. Gil had one arm around Lindsey's shoulders, holding her close to his body, his fist tightly gripping a hand full of her long hair so that she didn't dare move. His other hand held a gun to her head. The petite woman was bound and gagged, her blouse was ripped and loose strands of hair hung in her face. Her large brown eyes betrayed her fear. The young detective struggled against his rising emotions and tried to keep a clear head.

"Okay, I'm here. Let her go!" Danny spat out in a deadly tone.

"No way," said Gil. "Not when I'm so close to the payoff. You and your China doll are staying right here until I have my money and I'm long gone from this island."

Still gripping Lindsey, Gil pointed his gun at Danny and marched him toward the cellar door. "Inside!" he ordered.

With Lindsey in immediate danger, Danny didn't dare try any heroics; he'd have to come up with some kind of plan to get them both out of this situation later. He opened the door and started down the stairs into the damp, dimly-lit space, cursing under his breath. When Danny reached the bottom, Gil shoved Lindsey down the stairs then slammed the door shut and bolted it.

With her hands bound behind her, Lindsey lost her balance. Before he could think, Danny reacted out of reflex, lurched forward and caught Lindsey before she fell down the length of the staircase. He felt some measure of relief just to hold the young woman securely in his arms and he eased her down to a sitting position on the floor. He could feel her small body trembling against his. _What did that scum do to you? _he thought.

"It's okay now, Lindsey," the young detective said in a soothing tone, removing the cloth tied around her mouth then reaching behind her to untie her hands. Once freed, she massaged her sore wrists and exhaled the breath she had been holding. Her eyes focused on the floor as she attempted to calm her nerves. Danny put a protective arm around her again and pulled her close to him. She was still shaking.

"Lindsey?"

"I'm fine, Danny, just give me a minute," Lindsey managed to say.

Danny grinned at her toughness, but his anger flared when he again caught sight of her torn blouse. "Did he hurt you?" he asked abruptly as he pushed her silky black hair away from her face.

"No…no…I'm just…I'll be fine," Lindsey stammered. She lifted her head and looked into his serious blue eyes. "I'm really glad to see you, Danny, but I'm sorry that you're in this mess, too."

"We're going to get out of this, Lindsey," Danny promised. "Kono is here and Steve and Chin are on the way."

_o-o-o_

Gil had just finished his second phone call on his list of clients when he was grabbed from behind and felt the cold metal of a gun barrel touch his neck.

"Five-O! Freeze!" ordered Kono.

Startled, and smart enough not to resist, Gil complied. "Damned fuzz!" he shouted angrily. "How'd you find me?"

"You gave us great directions, man. We just followed 'em!" Kono explained as he cuffed the young man.

It only took a few seconds for Gil to come to the obvious conclusion. "Danny…he's a cop?" Gil asked incredulously.

"You bettah believe it!" Kono replied with pride. "And he bettah be okay…", his tone suddenly turning dark.

Kono was interrupted by Steve and Chin bursting into the house, their guns drawn. Seeing that Gil was already subdued, Steve re-holstered his weapon and nodded to Kono.

"Good job!" he said tersely. "Where's Danno?"

"I was just about to find out, Boss. Ain't that right?" Kono addressed Gil, directing a cold stare at him as he tightened his grip on the young man's arm.

"They're in the cellar. Let's just get this over with," Gil answered, surrendering to the inevitable.

Kono led Gil out of the house to Danny's sedan and read him his rights.


	11. Chapter 11

_**A.N. Here is the conclusion to the story. Thanks again to my beta, Tanith2011, and thanks to everyone who has been following this tale. I hope you enjoyed it!**_

**Chapter 11**

Steve wasted no time in unlocking the cellar door and descending the stairs followed closely by Chin. They were both relieved to see Danny sitting up on the floor. The young man looked weary but otherwise unhurt; his arms protectively encircled Lindsey and her head rested on his shoulder.

"Steve!" Danny called out, relieved at the sight of his boss.

"Danno!" Steve sighed while he swiftly crossed the room to reach the pair. He couldn't help but smile, knowing that his second-in-command was safe. He squatted on his heels in front of them and laid a gentle hand on Lindsey's shoulder. "You okay, honey?" he asked quietly.

Lindsey raised her head to meet the tall detective's dark eyes and smiled.

"I'm fine, Mr. McGarrett," Lindsey replied, her voice now stronger and more confident.

Steve met Lindsey's smile with his own and moved aside so that Chin could help the young woman to her feet. Chin's gut tightened as he got a better look at Lindsey's disheveled appearance and the bruising on her arms. His cop mind couldn't help but envision the rough treatment she had endured, and as the father of several girls, the thought angered him. He kept a protective arm around her as he walked her up the stairs.

Steve quickly inspected Danny's head wound for further trauma, and then helped the young detective to his feet. "I thought I told you to stay put in the office," Steve commented sternly.

"I didn't have a choice, Steve. He had Lindsey…" Danny explained forcefully.

"I know," Steve said more calmly, gripping his protégé's shoulder."You did the right thing. We're going to have to explain this to Che very carefully, though."

"That's for sure!" Danny added, grimacing at the thought of that difficult but necessary conversation.

They exited the basement and left the house. Steve helped Danny into the back of his Mercury next to Lindsey then got into the driver's seat next to Chin. He started the engine and headed for the Palace.

_o-o-o_

Lindsey was quiet on the ride back to the city. Danny kept glancing in her direction, seemingly powerless to shake his role of her protector. Once more, his concern slipped out.

"You okay, Lindsey?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"Yes, Danny, I'm still fine," Lindsey responded with mild amusement."What happens now?"

"Well, we'll both have to give our statements about what happened. It's important to do that right away while it's still fresh in our minds," Danny explained.

Lindsey sighed. "All I want to do is go home, take a shower and change, but if it's important…"

"I want to go home, too," Danny admitted. "I'm sure that Steve will make this as brief as possible, then you can go home and rest."

_o-o-o_

When they returned to the Palace, Jenny took Lindsey to the ladies room and helped her close the rip in her blouse with a couple of safety pins. Lindsey remained to freshen up as much as she could.

Steve had steered Danny into his private office and shut the door behind them. Kono had returned from processing Gil at HPD, and he and Chin busied themselves with their own reports. They frequently glanced toward the closed door knowing that Steve was making that sensitive phone call to Che. After a few minutes, Chin looked up from his desk to see Kono standing in his doorway, worry etched on his broad face.

"You got kids, Chin. How you think Che's gonna take dis?" Kono asked.

"Not so good at first, Bruddah," replied Chin sympathetically. "But he's a reasonable man; he'll be okay after some time."

Kono shook his head. "Sure glad I ain't da boss right now!"

_o-o-o_

Steve switched off the tape recorder after taking statements from Danny and Lindsey regarding the afternoon's events. He started to feel the relief that was typical when a case had been solved, particularly since the two important people in front of him were safe.

"That's all we need, Lindsey, thanks," Steve said sincerely. He was truly impressed with this intelligent and gutsy young woman. Not only had she kept her head in a dangerous situation but she had also provided a key piece of evidence that helped Five-O solve the case.

"You're welcome, Mr. McGarrett," she responded. "I…" Lindsey was interrupted when her father entered the office ushered by Jenny and followed by Chin and Kono. Che had calmed down since the phone call from Steve explaining what had happened, but when he saw the fresh bruises on Lindsey's arms and wrists, it tore at his heart and his brow wrinkled with concern.

"Lindsey, look at you!" Che said quietly, as he gently examined her injuries.

"I'm okay, Dad. It's okay, really," Lindsey said calmly.

"I _never_ should have allowed this!" Che retorted emphatically.

Lindsey couldn't believe what she had just heard. She pulled away from her father and stood her ground. Danny glimpsed the fire in Lindsey's eyes and braced himself. _Oh boy, wrong choice of words, Che! _he thought.

"Excuse me? _Allowed_ this? This was my choice, Dad, _my_ decision! And I have no regrets. I'd make the same choice again. I have a mind of my own, you know!" Lindsey asserted.

Chin smirked at the young woman's firm declaration. _Women's Lib! _He'd heard the same words from his own daughters. Kono looked surprised but amused. He held his breath wondering how Che would react.

Che's eyes grew large and he was speechless for a couple of seconds. Then he relaxed again, laughed and shook his head. "You sure do, Sweetheart, I know that!" he agreed calmly.

"Can I take her home now, Steve?" Che asked.

"Sure, Che, we're all done here."

Danny stood politely as the father and daughter turned to leave. Then Lindsey stopped, walked up to Danny, took his hands in hers and kissed him on the cheek, causing the detective to blush up to his sandy curls. "Thanks for everything, Danny," she said softly, looking into his blue eyes. Then she departed with her father.

Chin and Kono burst out laughing. Steve eyed his second-in-command for several seconds. Danny squirmed with embarrassment.

"Danno?" Steve addressed the red-faced detective in a perfectly serious tone of voice.

"Yeah, Steve?" Danny swallowed hard and wished he could disappear.

"I don't want to have to make any more difficult phone calls to Che, agreed?"

Pau


End file.
